The terms of this deal were not disclosed, but Spanning shares that the new round was led by “an undisclosed strategic investor,” with additional participation from the Foundry Group, which had previously invested $2 million into the company in 2011.

As we’ve previously detailed, Spanning Backup targets the full suite of Google Apps, including Gmail, Google Drive and Docs, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and Google Sites. The company’s biggest paying customers are in the enterprise sector, and it has over 2,000 domain customers paying for service.

With $9 million raised in total, the Austin-based startup has plans to grow its staff from 20 employees to 50 by the end of the year. According to CEO Charlie Wood, Spanning’s new capital will help it “accelerate the build-out” of its “direct sales team and reseller channel.”

Interestingly, Wood notes that this round also “provides [Spanning] with an important strategic partner,” surely through its undisclosed investor. At the moment, the partner in question is unknown, but would likely reveal Spanning’s next steps in the data protection space.